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Penn State's Eugene Lewis (7) celebrates his touchdown wIth Allen Robinson during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Syracuse Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013, in East Rutherford, N.J. Penn State won 23-17. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Eugene Lewis hasn’t been around long, but he’s been at Penn State long enough to know the impossibility of replacing the irreplaceable.

For two years, the kid from Wilkes-Barre watched Allen Robinson make some of the most memorable plays any receiver who has ever played for the Nittany Lions made. That leaping catch against Michigan that has achieved legendary status. Two touchdowns in the second half of a comeback against Syracuse. Big catches in big moments too numerous to mention.

There’s no more Robinson to watch now, though. He left after his junior season, destined for the NFL and the Jacksonville Jaguars. That group of receivers he left behind in Happy Valley are by many accounts about as gifted as him. But as they head into the 2014 season, the Nittany Lions know they have to find some way to match his production.

“Allen, he was for two years in a row the receiver of the year. He was an unbelievable talent,” Lewis raved. “Anytime somebody like that leaves, somebody else has to step in. It’s the next man up.”

Just three years ago, Lewis started at quarterback on the exciting Wyoming Valley West team he lead to the District 2 Class AAAA title. Now, he’s the next man up, the leader — both in ability and by default — of a young group of receivers with plenty to prove as the Nittany Lions vie for a Big Ten East Division championship.

Robinson caught 98 passes last season — roughly 40 percent of the balls Penn State quarterbacks completed. Nobody else had more than 28, and among returning wideouts, Lewis’ 18 were easily the best of the bunch.

However, much of the focus this summer has been affixed to the three ultra-talented true freshmen receivers coach James Franklin expects will be immediate contributors. DeAndre Thompkins recorded the fastest 40-yard dash time of anybody on the team, and it stands to reason the 5-foot-10 slot man will see plenty of action. Franklin also added that two bigger receivers, 6-foot-3 Saeed Blacknall and 6-foot-2 Chris Godwin, will see time.

That has helped Lewis fly a bit under the radar, which is fine by him. He spent his spring and summer doing what Robinson did a season ago: Running routes and catching passes out of the spotlight from quarterback Christian Hackenberg.

“He has been a student of his craft,” receivers coach Josh Gattis said. “He has worked tremendously this spring on his transitioning into and out of cuts. He has exceptional ball skills for a guy of his ability, some of the best ball skills I’ve been around. He shows up every day and works very, very hard. He takes coaching very well. I’m excited about him.

“Geno is an unbelievable representative of us. The sky is the limit for him.”

Lewis didn’t walk away from his redshirt freshman campaign in 2013 without his big moments, either.

He caught a 54-yard touchdown pass from Hackenberg in the fourth quarter of the opener against Syracuse, a catch that effectively put the Orange away. His other two touchdown catches — a 3-yard catch when defenders simply forgot to cover him, and a 59-yarder on which it only looked as if they did — were the difference-makers in the stirring season finale against Wisconsin.

Like many players entering their second full season of action, Lewis said confidence — in his abilities, in himself — should help make him a better player in 2014 and beyond. He said his confidence level, right now, is “through the roof.”

Does that equate to a number one wideout on a team searching for a new one?

Lewis doesn’t know, and Gattis insists it might not have to.

He pointed out that, by season’s end, Penn State doesn’t have to find another Robinson. It just needs to find a few receivers who can make up for his 97 catches and key touchdowns. That could be tight ends like Jesse James or Kyle Carter. It could mean plenty of help from the freshmen. It also could mean Lewis developing into the kind of player he thinks he can be and leading the charge.

“In my head, I’m just going out there trying to play my game,” Lewis said. “Allen was a great receiver. I learned a lot from him. But we’re also going to do different things. My main focus is to do what I can to help this team win.”

Doing enough to make fans forget the unforgettable might be a tall order for Lewis. Helping his team win, he knows, should be plenty to satisfy their needs.

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com

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